Somalia: Puntland executes child rapists; father says “Justice has been done,”

BOSSASO, Puntland - Authorities in Somalia's northeastern Federal State of Puntland has executed two of three men convicted of rape and murder of a 12-year-old girl, Garowe Online reports.

Aisha Ilyas Aden was raped and murdered at Galkayo city in Puntland in early February 2019, an incident that triggered demonstrations and outcry from among members of the public.

But of the three men convicted of murder, only two - Abdifatah Abdirahman Warsame and Abdisakur Mohamed Dige were executed during the Tuesday morning in the seaside city of Bosaso by a firing squad with the presence of the family of the victim.

The execution of the third convict - Cabdisalam Abdirahman Warsame has been postponed to next week for further investigation. 

Ilyas Aden, the father of the slain minor, lauded the execution, saying that "justice has finally reigned on my family and the soul of my daughter" while addressing reporters.

"Two were killed this morning and as a family, we welcome such decisive steps. The third one will have his fate determined next week," Ilyas said, adding that "I am grateful and satisfied".

Aisha Aden was abducted from the northern Galkayo market before her badly mutilated body was discovered the following day, authorities said.

At least twelve people were arrested in connection to her murder, but ten were acquitted after authorities failed to table incriminating evidence against them.

Nugal court convicted the three in May last year for sexually molesting the minor, in a judgment that was widely hailed by local and international human rights groups, media reports said.

In August 2019, the appeals court upheld the initial ruling, dealing blow to the convicts. During the trial, Abdilatif had pleaded guilty of raping the girl, but denied murder charges, officials said.

Abdifitah Warsane and Abdishakur Dige join growing numbers of rapists to have been executed as Abdisalan awaits his fate next week.

For the first time in history, DNA tests were used by investigators in Somalia as evidence for rape, an indication of science's role in criminal justice.

Tuesday's executions further elaborate on the tough Puntland criminal justice system, one of the best in Somalia, a country that has experienced instability for decades.

Rape and murder are punishable offenses in Somalia, with the death penalty being the ultimate fate for convicts and their accomplices.

GAROWE ONLINE